Amy, Geography student, was interested in a career in Entrepreneurship after being inspired by the work of entrepreneurs, such as Casey Neistat, CEO of Beme. Through the Career Mentoring Scheme, Amy was matched with the Founder of City Mixology. This mentor has worked as a Corporate Lawyer for Slaughter and May before progressing into PR and Marketing and then working with start-ups. He has worked in London, New York and Tokyo, among other key business cities.

“The Career Mentor Scheme is the best extracurricular activity I have taken part in this year.”

Amy achieved her personal objectives of setting up a Linkedin profile, completing applications for Law vacation schemes and setting weekly goals as a means of time management. She also improved her personal development skills, widened her networking opportunities and increased her knowledge of sector entry requirements.

Amy shared her experience:

What were your highlights of the scheme?

Meeting my career mentor in person was a highlight of the scheme; it gave an opportunity to continue conversations face-to-face which had only been conducted over email previously.

Being able to increase my confidence in formal communication on a professional level from emails and phone calls, to meeting in person has definitely been a highlight over the whole scheme for me.

Despite not being successful in obtaining a law vacation scheme, being able to submit multiple applications and cover letters to magic circle law firms and making it through the initial stages of application in some cases has been a huge achievement considering my complete lack of experience in the sector beforehand.

What did you find most useful from the mentoring experience?

Being able to receive first hand insight into my chosen sectors (law and entrepreneurship) was immeasurably useful. It is so different to simply reading about that particular career, I am now able to fully appreciate both the pros and cons associated with the sector. It has helped me narrow down my career path moving forward.

Perhaps most useful, has been the transferable skills I have gained from the scheme. I now have fully functioning LinkedIn and RiseTo profiles as well as hugely improved CV. I am now able to conduct formal and professional emails, phone calls and face-to-face meetings – these skills have vastly increased my confidence and will be extremely useful in future professional settings.

What message would you give to a student thinking of applying for the Career Mentor Scheme?

The Career Mentor Scheme is the best extracurricular activity I have taken part in this year. It helps to start you on your career path well before graduation is even on the horizon and has provided me with numerous transferable and valuable skills which I can apply into everything from everyday situations to more formal interactions and interviews. It is an extremely rewarding way to spend your time and gives the opportunity to network and boost employability skills.